The Repasz Band has been a cultural cornerstone of Williamsport and the region for 186 years.
Now the band has the formal proof that it’s a cultural cornerstone for the state and nation.
Last week a state historical marker celebrating the band’s existence and imprint was unveiled in ...

We’ve been saying for years that street conditions in Williamsport are overdue for attention after seemingly being low on the priority list for awhile.
There is proof of the situation in the phone logs of the “pothole hotline.”
A nine-member crew has fielded 58 new work orders as a ...

Last week’s South Williamsport Area School Board meeting included a report by Superintendent Dr. Mark Stamm on facility safety and security and changes to the emergency response plan.
The sad reality is that such a report – an afterthought 30 years ago – is an absolute essential ...

There are few communities the size of ours that have a signature event to offer that prompts worldwide attention.
But our community has that in the Little League World Series that starts with a leadoff attraction in the Grand Slam Parade that has grown into an introductory event worthy of the ...

The nation's jobless rate reached a 16-year low of 4.3 percent when the new employment numbers were released last week. The report noted 209,000 new jobs in June, following 231,000 new jobs in May. The favorable employment numbers came the same week that the Dow Jones Industrial Average topped ...

MS-13 is one of the most vicious criminal organizations in history. All one needs to know about MS-13 is that its preferred method of killing is to use machetes, axes and knives to hack victims apart slowly. Not infrequently, the group’s targets are children.
Recently, President Donald ...

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is well aware of the powerlessness of leaders in this country and others upset about his ongoing repression of his own people.
Despite enormous oil reserves, Venezuela’s economy is a shambles and Maduro’s regime is in the process of making liberty no ...

The belligerent behavior of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his almost daily boasting of nuclear power and threats was met this week with two counterpunches.
First, there was a rare unanimous United Nations Security Council vote for increased sanctions against North Korea. Most notably, ...

Desperate to close a $2.2 billion revenue gap in an overdue $32 billion budget for 2017-18, the state Senate has advanced a unique proposal on to the state House.
The Senate has approved a drilling tax on the natural gas industry. In return, the state is promising an expedited permitting ...

On the same day Williamsport residents walked and talked with local law enforcement officials as part of National Night Out activities, the city administration was pushing to get surveillance cameras relocated to high-crime neighborhoods.
The serendipity of the timing is fitting.
Because ...

President Trump’s drug commission last week called on him to declare a national emergency to deal with the country’s opioid drug epidemic.
Few people in this region would disagree with that assessment, especially given some of the clusters of opioid tragedies this summer.
The ...

Innocent until proven guilty?
Not under the old asset forfeiture programs many police departments and prosecuting attorneys used for years.
Extreme abuses ranging from confiscating assets of people who had nothing to do with crimes to tying up cars and other belongings before defendants ...

There was a time when all employees of the City of Williamsport were required to live within the city limits.
That is no longer true.
City Council rescinded the city residency ordinance earlier this year.
As a result, of 218 city employees, 135 live outside the city.
There are still ...

Politics in our country has taken a decidedly unpleasant, unproductive turn during recent years.
Once, we Americans were able to agree to disagree.
We could have sometimes dramatically opposing views on the issues, debating them fiercely, without shattering our sense of being one people ...

Eight area firefighters were dispatched recently to the western sections of the United States to fight raging wildfire flames.
Wildfires have been most prevalent recently in Idaho and parts of California, particularly the Yosemite National Park region.
To be dispatched to fight these fires, ...

A group labeling itself as the Heart of Williamsport has been sponsoring events over the past year geared to gathering a plan of “action items” that could guide the city in a positive direction in the future.
The group has recorded 80 in-depth interviews and gathered thoughts from 1,000 ...

Several nights ago the skies opened up – as they have so often this summer.
A downpour that was pretty constant for several hours contributed to 3.5 inches of rain in Williamsport over three days and similar amounts throughout the region.
Sump pumps were busy and streets were ...

There is probably nothing more personal to people than their health care and how it impacts their family.
Without affordable, accessible, competent health care for themselves and their families, most people live their lives on a tightrope each day, forsaking traditional practices because of ...

The state’s late-as-usual budget for 2017-18 lurched toward a settlement late last week with Senate approval of heavy borrowing and hundreds of millions of dollars in tax increases. The action didn’t make many people happy and leaders of the state House promised heavy scrutiny of the ...

Enormous challenges lie ahead in rebuilding Mosul, Iraq, after many months of occupation by Islamic terrorists. But liberation of the city recently spotlighted an incredibly important turning point in the war against murderous extremist groups.
Once a city of 3 million people, Mosul was ...